TheTechMediaMinute:IsAppleNoLongerThinkingDifferently?

One of the biggest names in Apple’s history is complaining about the current status of the company. At the same time, Cupertino is dealing with some odd technical issues with its internet services. Here’s our daily look at what’s making news in the world of tech.

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Former Apple ad guru Ken Segall is out with a scathing critique of his former client. In an op-ed for The Daily Guardian, the brain behind Apple’s iconic “Think different” campaign explains that the company no longer focuses on simplicity.

There is serious work to be done in rebuilding the perception of simplicity that helped Apple become the world’s most valuable company. Existing problems need fixing, as do the internal processes that have allowed complicated products to make it into the hands of customers.

Segall’s article should be required reading for Apple fans. The question is whether Apple executives will also take a look.

Apple’s tech problems grow

Multiple internet services from Apple have been suffering outages in recent days, including iCloud, App Stores, Apple TV, and iTunes. On Thursday, the issue extended to Apple’s purchase processing system, which was down for some users for a few hours.

Apple has not indicated what’s been going on. For now, the system is fully operational, according to the company’s system status page.

The Notify app is no more

Facebook has quietly shut down its Notify app, which first launched in November. In a message to users, the company explained that they were “transitioning parts of Notify into other Facebook products, and the app will no longer be supported.”

Notified brought news, sports, weather, and other information to the iPhone handset. Those features are now largely available through the company’s Messenger app, which now includes bots. (Via Ad Week)